Purple Communications™ Recruits for More than 100 Positions, Opens New Call Centers

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Purple Communications, Inc., a leading provider of innovative communications for people who are deaf, hard of hearing or speech-disabled, ends the year with an emphasis on growth and expansion, opening several call centers across the United States and hiring more than 50 video interpreters, as well as hiring several new professional, support and management positions. Currently, Purple is in the process of recruiting more than 100 additional interpreters and professional staff positions.

We’re on track to reach $100 million in revenue this year. We continue to invest heavily into our expansion efforts, both in terms of technology development and call center, network and corporate infrastructure -- it's a very exciting time for Purple.

“We currently employ more than 800 talented deaf, hard-of-hearing and hearing individuals across the United States, and I am pleased Purple is in a position to add even more jobs to the economy,” said Purple Chief Executive Officer John Ferron. “We’re on track to reach $100 million in revenue this year as we experience growth in all aspects of our service portfolio. We continue to invest heavily into our expansion efforts, both in terms of technology development and call center, network and corporate infrastructure – it’s a very exciting time for Purple.”

Since its inception, Purple has focused on the deaf consumer, creating video relay service (VRS*) call centers across the nation and developing advanced communications technology that makes calling faster and easier for deaf and hard-of-hearing individuals using common platforms traditionally used by hearing people, like smartphones.

“We have always invested in the customer experience, and are humbled at how many Deaf and hard-of-hearing people choose Purple products and services,” said Mark Bella, vice president of sales. “We are proud to offer the best in VRS and video remote interpreting (VRI)* to our loyal customers. We place high priority on ensuring our consumers receive only the best products and services – it’s in our DNA.”

In addition to expanding its consumer customer base, Purple has increased its business enterprise and large accounts divisions, concentrating on large businesses, corporations, hospitals, universities and schools, and government agencies that have deaf individuals as customers, employees or students.

“One of the reasons why we are one of the top VRS and VRI providers in the United States is because we focus a lot of our attention on advocacy and education,” said Senior Vice President Gordon Ellis. “I am thrilled that a large part of my job includes helping big businesses and organizations understand the value of providing services for deaf individuals, as well as hiring deaf and hard-of-hearing employees by leveraging our communications technology – all while improving their diversity strategies and increasing bottom-line revenue and efficiency.”

Allstate Senior Vice President of Direct Sales and Service Mark Pitchford was able to expand his applicant pool by integrating Purple products and services while increasing diversity in the workplace. “By using Purple products, Allstate was able to enhance its dynamic and diverse workplace by hiring more deaf and hard-of-hearing employees,” he explained. “This type of initiative has also improved our reputation with our stakeholders while continuing our excellence in service.”

Purple has also increased its presence in the healthcare industry, providing VRI services to deaf, hard-of-hearing and speech-impaired patients. “An important aspect of patient care is being able to communicate to our patients in a compassionate manner while following HIPAA confidentiality and privacy regulation,” Washington Hospital Healthcare System Representative Kelly Rager said. “Purple VRI opens the door to instant communication access for our deaf and hard-of-hearing patients, allowing us to immediately provide the best patient care possible while maintaining patient privacy and integrity.”

Ellis says after years of concentrating on building Purple’s retail division, he’s encouraged by the positive responses received from organizations benefitting from Purple technology.

“Purple believes communication should be a right, not a luxury – communication impacts everything from employment opportunities to patient care, and is often something hearing people take for granted,” he said. “It’s always very rewarding to find out a deaf patient received excellent care in part because of our VRI services or an employer was able to hire a deaf employee because of Purple communications technologies – before Purple, this wasn’t the case.”

*Purple Video Relay Services (VRS) provides deaf and hard-of-hearing individuals and business owners a means to communicate over video desktop and mobile devices with hearing individuals in real time using American Sign Language (ASL) interpreters. This service is free to our deaf and hard-of-hearing customers. To see how Purple VRS works, click here.

*Purple Video Remote Interpreting (VRI) incorporates both voice and video into a call and is used to help in situations where interpreters are immediately needed to assist deaf, hard-of-hearing or speech-disabled individuals and hearing individuals communicate when they are in the same room. For more information, please visit http://www.purple.us/vri.

About Purple

Purple Communications, Inc. is a leading provider of video relay and text relay services, on-site interpreting services and video remote interpreting. Offering a wide array of options designed to meet the varied communication needs of businesses and customers, Purple’s vision is to enable free-flowing communication between people, inclusive of the differences in abilities, languages or locations. For more information on the company or its services, visit http://www.purple.us. Purple, P3, the hands logo and the Purple logo are registered trademarks of Purple Communications, Inc. Other names may be trademarks of their respective owners.